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From Jan. 20 to 30 in Park City, Utah, the 2011 Sundance Film Festival will showcase a number of films hoping to land distribution deals for theatrical release.
While films featuring Don Cheadle, Terrence Howard, Mekhi Phifer, Tracy Morgan and A Tribe Called Quest will be on display, there are some filmmakers and talent hoping to get their careers launched or reignited at the festival.
It was at Sundance where the Lee Daniels film 'Precious: Based on the novel 'Push' by Sapphire' first gained recognition, having won the grand jury prize for best film. Everyone from Mo'Nique, Gabourey Sidibe, Mariah Carey and Paula Patton watched as their film careers ignited following their performances in the film. Sidibe landed an Oscar nod, while Mo'Nique won the award for best supporting actress.
Before starring in NBC's 'Law & Order: Los Angeles' and co-starring in the first 'Iron Man' film, Terrence Howard's career was reignited in 2005 for 'Hustle and Flow,' which premiered at Sundance and landed a distribution deal. Howard would later receive an Academy Award nomination for his performance.
Here's a list of films showing at Sundance that has black talent in front of and behind the camera. (Synopsis provided by Sundance Film Festival Guide.)
'The Guard' -- Written and directed by John Michael McDonagh, Brendan Gleeson and Don Cheadle star in this film about a small-town cop in Ireland who has a confrontational personality, a subversive sense of humor, a fondness for prostitutes and absolutely no interest whatsoever in the international drug-smuggling ring that has brought a straight-laced FBI agent to his door. However, a surreal chain of events pulls him into the action. Mark Strong, Liam Cunningham, David Wilmot and Dominique McElligot also star in the film.
'Gun Hill Road' -- Written and directed by Rashaad Ernesto Green, the film stars Esai Morales, Judy Reyes, Harmony Santana and Vanessa Aspillaga. After three years in prison, Enrique is back in his beloved Bronx, back in the arms of an estranged wife and back in the life of his teenage son, who is stumbling toward a transformation that will put the bonds of their embattled family to the test.
'Pariah' -- Written and directed by Dee Rees, the film stars Adepero Oduye, Pernell Walker, Kim Wayans, Charles Parnell and Aasha Davis. When forced to choose between losing her best friend or destroying her family, a Bronx teenager juggles conflicting identities and endures heartbreak in a desperate search for sexual expression.
'Beats, Rhymes and Life' -- Actor Michael Rapaport directs the story of the rise and influence of one of the most innovative and influential hip-hop bands of all time, the collective known as A Tribe Called Quest.
'The Ledge' -- Perched on a ledge, a man says he must jump by noon, while a cop races against time to get to the bottom of it. Written and directed by Matthew Chapman, the cast includes Charlie Hunnam, Liv Tyler, Patrick Wilson, Terrence Howard and Christopher Gorham.
'Being Elmo: A Puppeteer's Journey' -- Meet the unlikely man behind the heart and soul of Elmo: Kevin Clash. Elmo is one of the most beloved characters among children across the world.
'The Son of No One' -- Written and directed by Dito Montiel. Channing Tatum, Al Pacino, Katie Holmes, Tracy Morgan, Ray Liotta and Juliette Binoche star in this tale of two men in post-9/11 New York who are forced to relive two murders they committed as young boys. Their lives start to unravel by the threat of the revelation of these shocking and personal secrets. Morgan will play Vinnie, a friend of Tatum's and Binoche will play a reporter.
'Flypaper' -- Mekhi Phifer joins a cast that includes Patrick Dempsey, Ashley Judd, Jeffrey Tambor, Octavia Spencer, Tim Blake Nelson and Pruitt Taylor Vince. The film follows a man caught in the midst of two simultaneous robberies. He finds himself trying to protect a teller with whom he is secretly in love. The film is being directed by Rob Minkoff ('Stuart Little') and was written by Jon Lucas and Scott Moore of 'The Hangover.'
'The Blackpower Mixtape 1967-1975' - From 1967 to 1975, Swedish journalists chronicled the Black Power movement in America. Combining that 16mm footage, undiscovered until now, with contemporary audio interviews, this film illuminates the people and culture that fueled change and brings the movement to life anew.
'Family Portrait in Black and White' - In a small Ukrainian town, Olga Nenya, raises 16 black orphans amidst a population of Slavic blue-eyed blonds. Their stories expose the harsh realities of growing up as a biracial child in Eastern Europe.
'An African Election' - The 2008 presidential elections in Ghana, West Africa, serve as a backdrop for this feature documentary, which looks behind the scenes at the complex political machinery of a third-world democracy struggling to avoid civil war and establish stability for good.
'Kinyarwanda' - Written and directed by Alrick Brown and based on accounts from survivors, 'Kinyarwanda' tells the story of Rwandans who crossed the lines of hatred during the 1994 genocide, turning mosques into places of refuge for Muslims and Christians, Hutus and Tutsis.
'Submarine' -- Directed by Richard Ayoade and adapted from the novel by Joe Dunthorne, 'Submarine' is the story of 15-year-old Oliver Tate, who has two big ambitions: to save his parents' marriage and to lose his virginity before his next birthday.
'Restless City' -- An African immigrant survives on the fringes of New York City. Music is his passion, life is a hustle and falling in love is his greatest risk. The cast includes Danai Gurira, Anthony Okungbowa and Babs Olusanmokun.
'The Interrupters' -- From the Academy Award-winning director of 'Hoop Dreams' (Steve James) comes a story of ex-gang members who are now protecting their communities from the violence they themselves once employed.
'The Barber of Birmingham: Foot Soldier of the Civil Rights Movement' -- Gail Dolgin and Robin Fryday direct this short film about 85-year-old Mr. Armstrong, an African American barber in Birmingham, Ala., who experiences the manifestation of an unimaginable dream: the election of the first African American president.
'Close' -- One night after a casual "visit," Angela is all but ready to leave Derek's apartment. Derek, however, is determined not to let her go without a fight. The short was written and directed by Tahir Jetter.
'Cedar Rapids' -- A wholesome and naive small-town Wisconsin man travels to big-city Cedar Rapids, Iowa, to represent his company at a regional insurance conference. The cast includes Ed Helms, John C Reilly, Anne Heche, Isiah Whitlock Jr., Alia Shawkat and Sigourney Weaver.